Riding In Cars With Castle
by fan1bsb97
Summary: Possible conversations between Castle and Beckett on all their car rides throughout the episodes.
1. Flowers For Your Grave

Thanks to Jill (jstar1832), encantandaa, and Jan for all their help and support!

 ** _On their way from the book party to the precinct for interrogation_**

"Right this way Mr. Castle." Kate said as she led him to the police car parked at the front of the building that was waiting to take them to the 12th Precinct.

"I didn't kill anyone did I?" Castle asked as they entered the car. Kate rolled her eyes, scoffing at his remark. Already she could tell that this wasn't going to be easy. Judging by the way he'd behaved in just the past five minutes, she could tell that he was not going to take any of this seriously, despite just how important it all was. He had probably had a little too much to drink, too, and that wouldn't make interviewing him very easy.

"I don't know Mr. Castle, did you?" Kate retorted, glancing at him in her rearview mirror.

"Not to my knowledge, no, but it has been a wild night."

Kate put the siren on to drown him out and also to get to the station, and therefore this interview, over with as quickly as possible. "Mr. Castle, something very serious has happened here tonight and it is not in your best interest to make jokes or take it lightly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, of course, sorry," Castle apologized. You'll have to excuse me, I've had a long day and this was not what I was expecting tonight. As lovely as you are, I didn't think the handcuffs would be coming out until later."

Kate acted as though she hadn't heard him, and she continued ignoring him for the rest of the ride to the precinct. Obviously whatever she said to him was just going to evoke yet another smartass quip that she was not prepared to deal with. Not until she was in her interrogation room, playing by her rules.

After driving in silence, they finally reached the 12th. Kate instructed the officers accompanying her to bring Castle up into interrogation while she stayed back.

Castle immediately looked at her, concerned. "Don't worry Mr. Castle, I'm just going to ask you a few questions," Kate said before he had the chance to speak. "I'm sure you have nothing to hide."

 ** _On their way from the precinct to see "death of a prom queen" crime scene._**

They rushed down the stairs as quickly as they could, jumping into Kate's police cruiser. They'd need to get downtown as fast as possible.

"Did they say who died or how?" Castle asked Beckett, quickly going through all of his death scenes in his head. "Girl, guy, shot, stabbed?"

"Nope, not many details yet. We'll find out when we get there." Like Castle, Kate was running through every murder scene from his books she could think of. None of them seemed like good options for the victim, especially since the writer tended to use graphic language.

"You know Castle, while I know you had good intentions in 'jumping the line' for our prints, we're not really in the business of trying to make enemies with the rest of the precinct. So if you insist on staying until the case is solved, do you think you could at least follow the rules?"

"I was never a big fan of rules. They get in the way of all the fun," Castle said. "Besides, what's the use in having connections if you can't use them to help solve mysterious murders? Not to mention the quicker we solve this case the quicker you get rid of me, right?"

The traffic began to stack up, and Beckett switched the siren on. They weren't that far from the crime scene anyway.

"So who was that young redhead you were talking to at your book party Castle?"

"Why, jealous?"

"Of a teenager vying for you affections?"

"That would be my daughter Alexis."

"Wow, a teenage daughter. Didn't peg you for the doting father type."

"Oh come on, you know I have a daughter…it's always listed in the 'about the author' section of my books," he said smirking at her.

Kate ignored his comment, pausing before she spoke again. "But she seemed so…sweet. How is that part of your DNA? Should we run some tests in the lab?"

They pulled up to the building where the crime had occurred. As they got out of the car, Beckett glanced over at Castle and rolled her eyes. Maybe he'd actually have something to contribute to this one.

 ** _On their way from the precinct to arrest Kyle Cabot_**

"So you really think you have the right guy?" Castle asked her as they jumped into the car on their way to Brooklyn to arrest Cabot.

"Well he matched the print Castle. Are you looking for something else?"

"No, just trying to get inside your head Detective Beckett…just trying to understand the thoughts of a real life NYPD officer just before she makes an arrest."

"Well, stay out of my head Castle. It's much too complex for you," Kate responded as she took a quick right turn, the siren blaring.

"Oh I don't know about that Detective. I think if we spend enough time together…"

"Luckily, that won't be happening." She took another sharp turn, which seemed to be on purpose, as Castle held on to the door as to not go flying about.

"I think you'd appreciate the help I can give on investigations. I'm very good as solving crimes, as I'm sure you know from my novels." Castle was having an immensely good time teasing this woman. He wasn't even sure if he wanted her to like him, or continue to be pissed off by him – which would be more enjoyable?

"Castle, right now the only thing on my mind is catching this guy, and I need to concentrate on where we're going, so if you don't mind…" Kate snapped, turning another corner, "can you please shut up?"

At that moment he smirked at her, locked his lips, and threw away the key.

 ** _On their way from the library to the precinct, after he was arrested._**

"So Detective…have you thought about what I said? You have the wrong guy." Rick was currently sitting in the back of the detective's car. Neither one had said a word almost the entire way back to the precinct.

"Actually Castle, no I haven't thought about what you said because _you_ are not a cop. You are not a detective. You are just a writer who has no business even helping with this case…especially after what you just did."

The truth was, she _had_ been thinking about what he said to her in the library upon his arrest. Castle was good…and she couldn't just ignore his ideas based on pride. Could she?

"Oh come on…I've been very helpful so far! Especially with this! Please, just hear me out, you won't be sorry. Scout's honor!"

"I thought you were never a scout."

"Did I say that?" he said, and she saw him wink through the rearview mirror.

They parked at the precinct and he was led by the other officers out of the car and into the holding cell. Kate looked at him one more time before she told him he could make his call and walked away, still pondering his theory on the case.

 ** _After questioning Jonathan Tisdale, on the way to see Harrison Tisdale_**

"So there's no keeping you out of this case is there? Even after you were arrested, you just don't care about following the rules…" Kate commented as they got in the car on their way to see Alison Tisdale's brother Harrison.

"I'm just looking for justice Detective, same as you."

"Yeah right, you're just looking for a good story for your next book….now that you killed off Derrick Storm." Kate took a glimpse in the mirror before pulling back out on the streets of NYC.

"The fan in you is showing again Detective. The book's only been out for two days, how do you know the ending? Must have been those rumors you've been reading on the internet fan pages."

Kate scoffed as she looked at him, and then turned her eyes back on the road trying to hide her smile.

"Don't worry Detective, I won't tell anyone your secret. It is oddly strange how we both wound up at the same apartment this morning though, isn't it? It's like fate. I knew you'd listen to my theory."

"Yeah well, if it helps the case I'll listen to any reasonable ideas…even if it comes from you. That's my job."

Castle couldn't help but smile as he looked out the window of the car…

 ** _After questioning Harrison on their way back to the precinct_**

"What? I was right!"

"Right about what? That Cabot wasn't guilty? We knew that already." Kate ignored him as they started to drive back to the precinct.

"If it wasn't for me, he'd be in prison right now and this guy would be free!"

"Castle, you should quit while you're ahead. You believed this guy. If it was left up to you, we wouldn't have caught him. Way to pick up the clues, master detective," Kate teased.

"I would've figured it out eventually," Castle said, defending himself. "I just needed a chance to look at all the evidence laid out. Point is, I was right."

"Keep telling yourself that Castle."

 ** _On their way to the courthouse from the precinct_**

"How do you know Markway?" Maybe Castle's connections could actually come in handy with this.

"We play golf and poker together. Great guy. You see him a lot?"

"Only when he's signing off on warrants so I can catch criminals. We're not golfing buddies like you are." Kate was a bit sarcastic with that last bit. Slightly jealous…slightly annoyed at the same time.

"You should come sometime."

"Come where?"

"To play with us!"

"To your golf game with the judge? I think that might be a conflict of interest. Of…many interests."

"To a poker game!"

Kate looked at him and rolled her eyes. What was he thinking, inviting her out? As if she ever wanted to even see him again after this.

"Oh come on, it'd be fun! Wouldn't help to get on his good side either."

"Castle, unlike you, I have morals and integrity. I'd like to keep it that way, and keep my job, thank you. Let's just stick to the old fashioned way of the law ok? I get the warrant, and you keep quiet."

"My lips are sealed."

 ** _On their way to Harrison's apartment from the courthouse_**

"We're about to make an arrest, this is so exciting!" Castle was like a kid in a candy store, his dreams coming true, as they drove to Harrison's apartment.

"Yeah well, this is the scary part Castle, not the fun part. Guns, chases… not exactly the safest place for a civilian."

"Wait, you're gonna let me go in right? Please tell me you're gonna let me go in! We wouldn't even be this far if it wasn't for me."

Kate glanced over and after a few seconds of thought conceded. "You're right Castle, you should be able to go in. Just follow my lead."

The rest of the ride, Castle was on the edge of his seat, playing the upcoming events in his head. This was going to make a great book.

Meanwhile, Kate had the handcuffs ready to go…for Castle.


	2. Nanny McDead

Thanks to Jill (jstar1832), encantandaa, and Jan for all their help and support!

 ** _On their way from the apartment complex to the precinct_**

Castle and Beckett had finished looking through Sarah Manning's bag and were on their way to the precinct. Once they arrived, she would have had the unfortunate job of calling the victim's parents to inform them of her death.

"Do you always have to call the family?" Castle asked, glancing at her. It was definitely a job he would never want to have – to tell someone that the most important person in their life had their own life taken from them.

"Sometimes – sometimes another detective does it. Like if the family is local uniforms will just go to tell them in person," Kate answered as they pulled out into traffic city traffic.

"That must be hard for you. Even after you've done it a few times." Castle was speaking quietly, deep in thought at the prospect of having to make such a call to unsuspecting parents and loved ones.

"It doesn't get any easier," Kate responded, trying not to sound too emotional, although this was oftentimes one of the worst parts of the job for her.

"I can't imagine getting that call. About Alexis I mean," he added, seeing the confused look that Beckett was giving him. Castle was a devoted father and would gladly die for his daughter if he ever had to. She had read this about him, but each time he mentioned her it took Kate by surprise.

He shifted in his seat, turning to stare out the window. From the corner of his eye, he saw Beckett looking at him, studying him carefully, but he ignored her. It was one of the first times he appeared unselfish and actually human to her.

"Well Castle, chances are you won't ever have to," Kate said, interrupting his thoughts.

He turned toward her, grinning, but her calming words and the reassuring smile on her face did nothing to erase the thoughts going through his head.

 ** _On their way from the precinct to the playground_**

Castle and Beckett got into her vehicle and were quickly on their way to the playground, hopefully to find Sarah's friend Chloe Richards. Kate knew she shouldn't have been fooled on their car ride earlier. Just for a moment, when talking about his daughter, Castle had dropped his guard, and he'd appeared unselfish and as if he were actually human. Now, though, he was back to his usual annoying, obnoxious self.

"Do you remember what I said Castle, right before we went into interrogation?" Kate asked, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Something about an invitation? I'm not sure, I don't really remember." He was purposely being sarcastic and he smirked, avoiding her glance.

"I said you are here by invitation only. What does that mean to you?" she snapped.

"That I'm the guest of honor?"

"No, Castle. It means you are not there to ask the suspect questions; you are there to observe. And don't write down that I lied to the suspect! That's not exactly something I want to be public knowledge."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that Beckett. Plus, I knew what I was doing." Her face didn't soften though so he eased up just a bit. "I didn't say anything wrong did I?"

"Yes, you were wrong _by speaking_ at all!"

"How am I going to help you if you don't let me ask questions?"

"I don't need your help!" She was becoming exasperated and defensive, two things she did not want to be at that moment. The last thing Kate wanted him to see was this side of her – she had to stay composed and in control.

"I helped you on the last case!"

"Until you almost blew it by believing Harrison's alibi!"

"Ok, let's please just stop arguing and focus on the case? I just want to help…and observe."

Kate took a deep breath before responding. "Okay fine," she acquiesced. "We're here anyway." She pulled over as they approached the park, ready to look for Chloe Richards and hopefully find some answers.

 ** _From the playground to the office building_**

Castle and Beckett thanked Chloe then headed back to the car. They needed to visit Mr. Peterson and find out exactly what was going on. Were he and Sarah having an affair? And did that lead him, or someone else, to kill her?

"She was a nice girl, don't you think?" Castle inquired as they climbed into the car.

"Yeah I guess. A little odd…skittish," Kate responded. As a veteran detective, she was able to pick up on the little things that he apparently hadn't noticed.

"Wouldn't you be if you were being questioned by an officer?" he asked, surprised that she felt that way about Chloe, and also wondered exactly what it was that tipped her off.

"Just her tone of voice, the way she was looking at us. Little things," Beckett responded nonchalantly.

Castle looked at her, trying his hardest to remember the moments she was speaking of. "Don't worry Castle," Kate said with a little laugh. "I'm a trained detective remember? _You're_ just a writer." She grinned at him, seemingly happy with herself for making the little dig.

"Oh I'm not worried Detective. But thank you for your concern." She rolled her eyes at him as they continued driving towards the office building.

"What I'm _concerned_ with is why Mr. Peterson would be having an affair with his twenty-three year old nanny."

"Well, _that's_ something I think I know the answer to…"

"Haven't you had enough affairs with the young and single Castle?"

"What do you mean?"

"All those young, single, mothers you were talking about," Beckett answered. "Maybe you should stop thinking about women not that much older than your _daughter_ that way."

"Ok…ew…" That shut him up for a bit.

 ** _From the office building to the precinct_**

"Did you see what I did there? You know that 'don't leave town' line?" Castle smirked as they got back into the car.

"Oh yeah…I saw it." Kate couldn't hide her annoyance at him.

"What?! I thought it was a nice touch. See how much I'm learning from you?" Castle's cocky attitude was part of his charm, wasn't it?

Kate chose to ignore that statement, simply rolling her eyes and moving on. "So…he was having an affair. Hopefully with someone his own age."

"So he _was_ having an affair. Maybe she killed Sarah!" Castle exclaimed excitedly, as if a lightbulb had just gone off in his mind. Of course he was kidding…half kidding.

"Why on earth would the woman Mr. Peterson was having an affair with kill Sarah Manning, Castle?"

"She thought he'd hit on her?" Castle suggested.

Kate signed. "Can we please stick to actual evidence? Please?"

"Okay fine," Castle conceded. "I wonder if Sarah knew about the affair, or just thought Mr. Peterson was actually…working late."

"Who knows. But the more cases I solve the more I lose faith in the male species."

Castle was silent for a few seconds, finally snapping out of his reverie and looking at Kate. "I'm sorry what?" he said. "I wasn't listening."

Kate threw her hand up as she proved her point.

 ** _From the precinct to see Mrs. Peterson_**

"So Mrs. Peterson lied, huh," Castle restated what they had just learned.

"That's what it looks like." Once again Castle and Beckett were on the go, this time to see Mrs. Peterson who had apparently lied about her alibi.

"Does that make her our prime suspect?" Castle asked.

"Well it definitely puts her up higher on the list. Why would she lie if she had nothing to hide?"

"Maybe she was having an affair, too."

"Well now, aren't they just one big happy family."

"See Beckett, this is what you're missing out on by not being married!" Castle said. "As soon as you _get_ married, the men will be pouring in." Castle seemed to know a little _too_ much about having an affair for her taste.

"Way to restore my faith in the male race, Castle."

"Hey, don't be mad at me. She's the one having the affair."

"We don't know that's what she was doing," Kate reminded him.

"Oh you're right….maybe she was just off you know…committing murder or something."

 ** _From the precinct to Chloe's apartment_**

"What are you thinking Detective?" Castle asked. He and Beckett seemed to have gotten a break in the case.

"I'm thinking that Chloe is the one that killed Sarah." She put the siren on as they sped off towards Chloe's apartment.

"Okay well, I get that Chloe followed Sarah into the laundry room, but what's the motive?"

"We'll figure that out once we get to her apartment."

"Any theories?" Castle asked.

"Jealousy? Maybe she wanted to have the affair with Mr. Harris, and since Sarah was, she couldn't."

"Not to say I hope you're right but…" Castle paused for a second before putting his finger on the volume button on the radio. "Do you mind if I raise this? The siren's kind of drowning out the music." All Kate could do was look at him and shake her head.

 ** _From Chloe's apartment to the Peterson's building_**

Kate pulled out her cell phone and dialed the precinct. She needed to keep Espo and Ryan up to date with details of the case.

"Are the boys meeting us at the apartment?" Castle asked excitedly. He was getting another opportunity to catch the killer; this time, hopefully, with his shoes on.

"Yeah they're on their way," Kate answered. "They'll get there first so hopefully Chloe will be on hold for me when I get there."

"Don't you mean for us?" he asked with a bat of his eyelids.

"Castle? Shut up."

"Got it. So this must be some special kind of crazy we have going on. Not just murder, but delusional murder."

"Yeah well, it happens," Kate said. "Obsession mixed with the right combination of mental unstableness can do dangerous things to a person's psyche. It can even cause them to kill."

Castle thought for a moment. "It's a good thing she hasn't gotten to Mrs. Harris," he finally added. "Have you seen something like this before Detective?"

"I've seen quite a lot, Castle. People kill for money, love, power, you name it. Sometimes, as it appears in this case, something just _snaps_."

Castle looked at Beckett, his eyes widening, thinking how grateful he was that his two ex-wives had never gone off the deep end…at least, not really.


	3. Hedge Fund Homeboys

Thank you to my awesome friend Jill (jstar1382) for all your help and encouragement!

 ** _From the crime scene to the parents' house_**

Castle and Beckett had just scoped out the crime scene for a murder of a teenage boy named Donnie. While there, Beckett noticed that Castle had a different look about him than normal. This case had their youngest victim to date – someone close to his daughter's age. He had tried making jokes to make himself appear un-phased, but the more Kate got to know him, the more she knew solving actual murders wasn't getting any easier for him.

"So where are we off to Beckett?" he asked, as they entered her police cruiser together for the first time that day.

"To talk to Donnie's parents." With those words she took a slightly longer than normal breath. Maybe she wasn't taking this one well either.

"Has anyone told them yet? That their son died?" he inquired nervously. This was going to be the first time he was there to break that kind of news. The kind of news he hoped never to hear himself.

"No, that would be our job." Kate took a breath and glanced at him as they drove to Donnie's parents' house. Castle was becoming more and more nervous at the prospect of doing this. "Castle, don't worry. I've done this before and I can handle it. All you have to do it sit back and be kind and supportive. It'll be fine."

He looked at her and let a small knowing smile creep onto his face with a nod, but he knew this was not going to be fine. At least for him.

 _ **On their way from the parent's house to the school.**_

"So just how many schools _did_ you attend Castle?" Kate asked as they got into the car. He had said he was kicked out of all them…how many was all?

"Oh I don't know, I lost count. Maybe six or seven?" He seemed very nonchalant about this, although to Kate that wasn't very surprising.

"And what exactly did you do to get kicked out of all these schools?" Now she was curious. Despite having been slightly rebellious herself at that age she couldn't imagine breaking a rule so horribly that it would result in expulsion and more importantly, a lack of tuition payment for the school.

"Oh nothing _too_ serious Beckett. Some pranks here and there, little white lies, not going to class, that sort of thing. How about you? You ever do anything in high school that your parents wouldn't want to know about?"

Kate cringed at that question… the mention of her parents. She had yet to tell Castle about her mother's death. "Nothing too serious for me either. Maybe cut a class here or there," she answered quickly to avoid giving too much information about exactly how rebellious she had been.

"Oh Detective Beckett, you rebel."

"Without a cause," she said with a smirk. "So is Reading on your alma mater list?"

"Just for a short while my sophomore year."

"What got you kicked out of that one?"

"Was it the fire or the cow? I really don't remember…"

 _ **From the school to the park**_

"Where are we going?" Castle asked as he followed Kate out of the school and back to the car.

"Back to the park. Ryan and Espo said they found something I need to look at."

"So where'd you learn that ear trick?" Castle was still rubbing his own after Kate had twisted it in an attempt to get him away from her phone.

"Oh just a little something I picked up," she teased. "Let that be a lesson - don't mess with me Castle."

"Ah yes, plus how could I forget the nose incident from a few weeks ago?" Castle put his finger to his nose, remembering how she had squeezed it the last time he had aggravated her.

"Men…they never learn."

"So…a drug dealer killed him, that's what we're thinking right?"

"That's what it looks like," Beckett answered, driving away from the school back to the park.

"Seems pretty easy and predictable," Castle responded. He almost sounded bored as he said it, disappointed that there wasn't going to be more to the story.

"We like easy and predictable Castle. It makes our job a whole lot easier."

"Oh Detective, I don't believe that." She glanced at him with her eyebrows furrowed. "You like a challenge."

She didn't know how to react to that. A minute ago she was joking with him and suddenly she was thinking about just that – a challenge. She had had her fair share of difficult cases, some which had been left unsolved. No, easier was definitely better.

"Not all the time Castle."

 _ **From the park to the precinct**_

"Interesting turn of events," Castle commented as they started to drive back to the precinct.

"What, that there's drugs involved? I'm not too surprised Castle," Kate responded. "A lot of murders deal with that sort of thing, or at least, something else illegal."

"Not that. The fact that a drug dealer tried covering it up. Ever seen that before?"

"No Castle, I haven't," Kate answered nonchalantly, only half listening. She was more concerned with who the drug dealer was and what would make him kill a well-off teenager.

"I guess there's a first time for everything," Castle stated as he stared out the window. He suddenly turned to her with a thought. "Unless there's a lot more to it that we haven't figured out yet."

"Well Castle, that's usually the case. It's hardly ever so cut and dry that we find the drug dealer slash murderer the same day, case closed."

Castle sat silently for a few moments, thinking about the story. If this were his story, how would he write it? What was the motive? Money? Fear of getting caught? "Well, now how do we go about finding this supposed drug dealer?"

"Espo tracked down the 911 caller. He's going to call her in to look through mug shots and help us identify him."

"Smart… What if she can't identify him? Or he's not in the system?"

Kate looked at him and took a deep breath. "Let's just hope that's not the case, alright Castle?"

"Fingers crossed!" he answered, that sarcasm he loved to use just oozing out.

 _ **From the precinct to the school**_

"So how are you going to approach this with the kids?" Castle asked Kate on their way to the school to re-question them. Donnie's friends had lied to them about what had happened the night before. They were with Donnie that night when he was shot and were covering it up.

"I'm going to tell them what I know. They were probably scared, and when I tell them I know they lied the truth will come out. They're not mature enough to continue knowing how to keep up the lie for too much longer." Kate sounded confident, knowing exactly what to do. She must have questioned hundreds of people since becoming a detective and this would be no different.

"What if they all have a new story? They've had all day to come up with something new. They had to know we'd figure it out."

"We'll get them. Come on Castle, you have a teenage daughter, haven't you ever caught her lying?"

"Alexis?" Castle asked, scoffing at the prospect of her ever getting into trouble. "No way, she's never lied to me about anything."

"Are you sure about that? Do you follow her wherever she goes?"

Castle shifted slightly in his seat. "Well, no…but…"

"As good as some kids are, there's always some secrets Castle," Kate said, thinking about secrets she had kept from her own parents.

"No I'm telling you, Alexis is an angel!" He was becoming quite defensive. When Kate noticed this she backed off a bit.

"Okay Castle, sorry. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about with Alexis. But just in case, take notes on the interrogation," she winked.

 _ **From the precinct to Romy's house**_

"Aren't you glad I'm here?" Castle asked as they drove to Romy's house. She knew more than she was letting on and they had to discover the truth.

"Castle, I'm never glad you're here. Why should I start now?"

"Because I cracked the case open!"

"Don't gloat, it's not becoming." Kate said, sounding slightly annoyed. Though even she had to admit he was starting to grow on her. Even if what he thought was charm was in reality just being obnoxious.

"So do you think Romy will tell us what really happened?"

"I think she's scared just enough to reveal a little bit more truth," Kate responded with confidence. It wasn't the first time she had to go back and requestion a witness. In her experience, every time the witness would get a little more nervous and suddenly remember more details to the story.

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then we take separate testimonies from everyone and find a hole somewhere."

There was a short lull in the conversation as both Castle and Beckett were thinking about the case and the situation they were in. "I talked to Alexis this morning," Castle finally stated. "She was the one who made me think about them not loaning Donnie the money."

"Smart girl you got there."

"Yeah."

"Castle, don't worry. I'm sure Alexis won't get herself into any trouble, or drug dealing, or something else kids like her DON'T do."

"I know, I know." He nodded. "But it's nice to be sure."

 _ **From the precinct to the school**_

"So do you think Brandon's our man?" Castle asked. They had just questioned another member of the group, Spencer, who had a solid alibi as long as it was corroborated.

"Spencer was too nervous…too innocent. It's not him."

"Which leaves just Brandon and the girls."

"Well I'd say Romy is out. Those tears didn't seem fake to me." If Kate said believed it, Castle knew it must be true. She certainly had the experience to back it up.

"But if Spencer is telling the truth and Brandon was at the club with him last night how could it be him?"

"Maybe he left early…maybe he even slipped out without him noticing. Or maybe it wasn't him after all and it was Amanda."

"Brandon seemed really calm the other day. Romy was crying, Amanda was upset, Max was shaking…but Brandon was perfectly calm. He was the one telling the others to tell the 'truth.'" Castle kept running through the events in his mind, replaying the scene over and over. He knew something wasn't right about Brandon, but couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, until now.

With a sudden understanding and connection with Castle's idea, Kate looked at him and responded, "Which means he probably came up with the story to begin with." She was smiling and nodding now, seeing how all of it was coming together.

Castle smiled. "This just keeps getting better and better." That statement caused Kate to glare at him. "Aside from the fact that two teenagers were murdered of course," he stammered, trying to cover up both his excitement and horror at the situation.

 _ **From the precinct to the school**_

"This is some sick psychopath we're dealing with here isn't it." Castle had written about psychopaths before, but had never seen one in the form of a teenage boy.

"I can't think of any other explanation." Kate responded as they started off again for the school. They had just questioned Amanda, Donnie's ex-girlfriend. Unlike Brandon, she showed actual emotion and horror at the thought of being accused of staging the murder. In the heat of the moment it had also been revealed that Brandon was the one who told her to shoot the video that night.

"Why would a sixteen year old kill two of his best friends? And stage such an elaborate plot? What, is nothing good on TV anymore?"

"Kids just aren't entertained like they used to be. Baseball, movies, bowling…instead they have to resort to murder."

"What I want to know is, did he do this thinking he would get caught? That one of his friends would? Or that he'd just get away with it and move on as if nothing happened?" As a writer Castle was able to get inside the heads of his murderers and wanted the same privilege here.

"Well I think the more we interrogate him the more answers we'll get in respect to that."

"Hmmm," Castle paused. After a beat he told Kate what happened that day with his daughter. "Alexis confessed something to me this morning."

"She's killed Donnie?" Kate tried making a little joke to lighten the mood.

"Ha no… she jumped the turnstile once."

"Rebel," Kate answered sarcastically. How could he even be upset about that?

"She actually swiped her card twice the next day and grounded herself for a week."

"Geez, talk about a guilty conscience. What punishment were you going to give?"

"Ice cream for breakfast," Castle answered straight faced and serious.

"Well I guess next to murder, your punishment would fit the crime."

"If we have time later do you mind if we stop for some? I've had this craving all day."

Kate just rolled her eyes as they took the turn onto the street of the school to once again, question Brandon.

 _ **From the school to the precinct**_

"Yup, garden variety psychopath." Kate said as they left the school for the precinct. Their interactions with Brandon were becoming more and more creepy. He didn't seem to care at all that two of his friends had just been murdered and was even starting to make jokes.

"He practically dared us to prove he murdered them."

"He didn't practically dare us. He did dare us Castle." Kate took a sharp turn, letting her frustration and anger get to her.

"So now what do we do?" Castle inquired. They had questioned everyone – there was no one left to ask. What other clues could they find at this point?

"Well Castle, now you get to see the other ways we find evidence. It isn't always interrogation and getting inside people's heads. Sometimes it's good old fashioned scouring of paperwork."

"Great," Castle said sarcastically. Kate smiled to herself. "He was right you know," Castle said after a beat.

"About what?"

"You are pretty hot."

Kate tried her best to look annoyed, even rolling her eyes, but she couldn't hide the faint grin on her face.


	4. Hell Hath No Fury

A huge thank you to my friends Janna, encantadaa, and Jill (jstar1382) for their help, suggestions, and encouragement! You guys are amazing!

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to the crime scene**_

"Where's the body? Where are we going?" Castle was as giddy as a schoolboy on their way to the crime scene. He had been wasting time at the precinct instead of paying attention to the release of his latest Derrick Storm novel, which was finally in stores. Bothering Beckett was much more fun.

"What is it, Castle? Is the book terrible or something?" Kate asked as they drove downtown to where the victim was found.

"No, why would you say that?" Castle shot back at her defensively.

"Because this- shadowing me- is not how you make money, and writing books is. And yet, you're avoiding your author responsibilities and taking part in this. There must be a reason." Castle knew she was teasing him just to get under his skin, so he was going to give it right back.

"No reason. I just like solving murders with you," he said with a lift of his eyebrows. "So tell me, where are we going?"

"An apartment downtown."

"Any other details you'd like to share?"

"I don't know anything else yet. We'll have to wait until we get there."

"I'm too excited to wait," Castle was certainly anxious, like a child at Christmastime, and the longer they were in the car, the more immature he became. It wasn't exactly normal to be excited over a murder victim, unless you wanted them dead yourself. However as a mystery writer, all the cases were fascinating to him.

"Castle," Kate said, glaring at him. "A man is dead."

"Oh right, sorry."

"So you still haven't told me why you're avoiding your book release," Kate said, changing the subject.

"I told you, no reason," he responded, looking out the window. Castle didn't want to say why he was feeling anxious about his book release. He certainly didn't need to give her any more ammunition to tease him with. "I'm just more excited by a fresh case, that's all."

* * *

 _ **From the crime scene to the precinct**_

"How'd you know who he was?" Beckett asked Castle on their way back to the precinct shortly after he had immediately identified the victim.

"He's been on bus ads all over town," Castle answered. "He's running for re-election to city council. You know the ones – 'Re-elect Horn for City Council.' Not exactly catchy, but still gets the point across."

"Wow, not bad, Castle," Kate responded. She paused for a moment, then continued. "I'm glad your book sucks, and you were here to help with that." She just couldn't resist teasing him and getting him back for all the relentless jokes he annoyed her with on a daily basis.

"I'm not really sure how to react to that. Thank you?"

Kate smirked. Even when she tried to annoy him, she really couldn't.

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to see Mrs. Horn**_

"Time to break the bad news to Mrs. Horn," Kate commented as they drove to Jeff Horn's apartment to see his wife. At this point, the news of his death managed to stay out of the press and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"This isn't going to be good for his campaign," Castle joked, chuckling, trying to get her to lighten up a bit.

"That's a little insensitive, Castle, don't you think?" Kate scoffed, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry, bad timing."

"Not just bad timing. Not everything is a joke, Castle."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Castle murmured. He actually did regret his joke. It was easy to tease when you're not the one affected by the crime, but he had to remember that Kate was affected by every murder she solved in one way or another.

"Yeah, well, we have to make sure we tell her before the media gets hold of it and she finds out while watching the evening news."

"Do they have any kids?" Castle asked. He was thinking of his own daughter, and what it would be like for Alexis to lose him.

"I'm not sure, but I guess we'll find out soon."

"I don't know if that makes it easier or harder," Castle commented.

"How so?"

"If they have kids, the wife doesn't have to go through it alone, but is left to raise them by herself. On the other hand, the kids don't have a father, but the mother has a reason to keep going. It's a Catch 22."

* * *

 _ **From the campaign headquarters to Mr. Creason's hotel**_

"Is there anyone you _don't_ know Castle?" Kate asked as they drove to Mr. Creason's hotel. Creason was someone who had reason to possibly have killed Horn, or at least wanted him dead.

"Obama… but I have been invited to the White House. I've just been too busy," he quipped, resulting in an eye roll from Kate. "Interesting about Creason, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"People will do anything for revenge and money." Castle had already been thinking of all the possibilities with this new suspect, even though they had yet to even speak to him.

"We don't know that he killed him, Castle. You're taking a big leap. We haven't even talked to him yet."

"You just told Nesbit, just because he had a beef with him, it doesn't mean he didn't kill him."

"I know what I said, Castle," Kate sighed. "Just relax. You're just being a little too eager, don't you think?" Kate knew from past experience not to jump the gun on any potential suspects – it was never that easy.

"I'm just excited by the case, that's all."

"Why Castle? Why are you so excited? Even more so than usual."

"No reason."

"No reason again, hmmm. You keep saying that. And the more you say it, the more I know it's not true. Do you have a copy of the book on you by any chance? What is it called again? _Storm Fall_?"

"No, why?"

"Maybe you're trying to hide something. I'd just like to see for myself."

"Now, what on earth would I be trying to hide?" he asked innocently.

"Maybe this is the plotline of the book, and you staged the murder for publicity!" she teased.

"Geez, Beckett."

"Hey, like you said, people will do anything, right?"

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to campaign headquarters**_

"The election was fixed?" Castle asked incredulously. He and Kate were on their way once again to the campaign headquarters for Jeff Horn. She had been given a little bit of information during their interrogation with Creason, but not quite enough.

"Not exactly," she said, not looking at him as she focused on the road.

"What does that mean?"

"No stuffing or hiding ballot boxes or anything, just a good old fashioned scandal."

"Oooooh what is it? Anything good?"

"I don't know. That's what we're going to find out from Bolinger." Kate wasn't sure exactly what it was yet, and she didn't want to make any presumptions to stir the pot.

"Any guesses?"

"No," she said with a sigh. She had already told him what she knew and there was no reason to keep repeating herself.

"It's gotta be an affair, right? It's always an affair."

Stopping a red light, Kate turned to Castle. "You've been divorced twice, Castle. What happened with you? Was it affairs?"

Castle looked directly into her eyes. "Not on my side," he said quietly, turning away solemnly to face the window.

Kate had actually succeeded in ruffling him, but not in the way she had hoped.

* * *

 _ **From Bolinger's office to the precinct**_

"It's amazing what they can find on the internet these days," Castle said.

"Yeah it's a whole new version of online dating," Kate answered, disgusted by the entire incident. Prostitutes advertising on the internet – it made her sick.

"How do they get away with stuff like that?"

"What?"

"Openly running a prostitution business. It's illegal, isn't it?"

"There are always loopholes, Castle. When they call themselves an escort service, for example." Kate refused to make eye contact with him throughout the entire conversation. It wasn't exactly making her comfortable to discuss this topic with him. She wouldn't have been comfortable discussing it with any man, for that matter.

Castle must have sensed her discomfort, because he didn't say anything else about it. He reached to the center console, turning the radio on, and the two rode in silence for the rest of the way to the precinct.

* * *

 _ **From the campaign headquarters to the precinct**_

"He's hiding something," Castle commented as they started driving back to the precinct. They had just talked to Horn's campaign manager and friend, Frank Nesbit, again, but hadn't gotten much information beyond what they already knew.

"Who?"

"Horn."

"Of course he is, Castle. Why do you think I said that line about things getting out into the open? It's just like the Tisdale case. I can always tell when someone's not being completely truthful." Kate laughed a bit. Of course she knew he was lying.

"Oooooh. Nicely played, Detective," Castle said, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't that hard to figure out. He had a lot of tells."

"So you think he did it?"

"Not willing to go that far yet, but he just jumped up a notch on the suspect list."

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to crime scene, then to arrest Nesbit**_

"So it was Nesbit. You were right," Castle said, complimenting Kate on her case-solving abilities as they drove to the campaign headquarters to arrest him. "Nice job."

"Well, without the confession from Mrs. Horn, who knows if we would've gotten there," Kate stated, giving credit where credit was due.

"So what do you think? Is he gonna go down easy, or is he gonna be a runner?" Castle asked, suddenly no longer pensively thinking about the case, but instead getting excited about the arrest.

"Hmmm, it's hard to tell with some guys. I'm going with simple arrest," Kate added. With the case solved, there was nothing wrong with having a little fun with it.

"Nah, I think he's gonna run. I don't know what he thinks he'll accomplish, but he's gonna run."

"Wanna bet on it?" she asked, a not-so-innocent gleam in her eyes.

"Okay., If I win, I get to drive him to the precinct."

"I was thinking more like $5," Kate said.

"What's the matter, Detective? Afraid you'll lose?"

She looked at him and smiled. "Haven't I lost already?"

"You've won, you just don't know it yet."

With that, she rolled her eyes, but kept smiling.


	5. A Chill Goes Through Her Veins

_**From the crime scene to the precinct**_

"So how did you get there before me?" Beckett asked Castle. They had already been to the crime scene and were now on their way to the precinct to start the investigation.

"I was excited. How does the facial recognition software work anyway?" Castle couldn't wait to see the technology in action. It was all he could do to not act like a two-year-old.

"Well, it carefully examines the victim's face, and then it looks through all the different faces for matches. It's highly technical, you'll see."

"That is so cool. I've seen so many episodes of crime shows and documentaries where they have that kind of software. I can't wait to see it in person." His excitement was growing by the second. Everything he had done so far in the precinct had been boring paperwork or sifting through files.

"I can't wait for you to see it either, Castle. The look on your face is going to be priceless," Kate said with a smile. At the moment, she wasn't going to let him in on the secret that there was no such software. He'd find out soon enough that he was going to be doing all the work himself.

"Any ideas on who she could be, or why she's there?" Castle asked, shifting his focus to the victim. She was frozen solid when they found her. It seemed to him to be very different than a typical murder, which is why he was so excited. This would be something new.

"Not yet, but there's always an answer. We just have to find it."

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to Melanie's husband's apartment**_

"So Castle, why _did_ you get divorced?" Kate asked. She knew he had been married twice, but they never talked about why the marriages had ended. She had asked him once, and he implied that they had both cheated on him, but the conversation never went further.

"Which time?"

"Both times," Kate said.

"Well, the first had a lot to do with Meredith cheating on me. The second time, it just wasn't meant to be. Plus, it was annoying being harassed all the time about writing. Gina's my publisher."

Kate was surprised by all the new information she just received. She had no idea who he had been married to. "Wow, that's tough," she said sincerely. "She's _still_ your publisher?"

"Yes. But now when I dodge her calls, I don't have to worry about her thinking I'm having an affair. It's purely because I don't have anything written for my book."

Kate decided to change the subject. She got the information she wanted for the moment and didn't want her inquiries to cause him to focus on her life. "I wonder what made Sam think she 'ran away.' Or at least, what kind of excuse he came up with that the cops bought."

"And why she turned up now, no less. Five years later. Talk about a cold case," Castle chuckled, laughing at his own joke. All Kate could do was roll her eyes.

* * *

 _ **From the apartment to the precinct**_

"Murdered," Castle said, restating the information they just received from Roger, the new resident of the Cavanaugh's old apartment. The man told them that Melanie's husband Sam had been murdered, which was pretty shocking news to both Castle and Kate.

"Well, that makes things slightly more interesting, doesn't it," Kate commented. They didn't have any information on Sam and needed to learn about him before they could investigate any further. This was not something they had planned on.

"Doesn't mean he didn't have anything to do with it," Castle responded. "His murder could be related. Maybe Sam killed Melanie, and someone found out and wanted revenge. Like in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.' Maybe he died by hook." He couldn't help but make jokes to lighten the mood. It was his nature.

"No, but it also means he couldn't have dumped the body last night. That means that even if he was in on it, he didn't act alone." Castle noticed the frustration in her voice.

"Think Mr. Magoo knows more than he's letting on?" Roger, the current resident of the apartment, had been the one to inform them of Sam's death. That sort of thing probably would have been disclosed in the rental agreement, especially if the murder happened in the apartment.

"A man rents an apartment in NYC, nothing uninteresting about that," Kate said definitively.

"What kind of man rents an apartment where someone was murdered? I would think it would be condemned."

"A man desperate for a good price in New York. Besides, we don't know he was murdered in the apartment. Or that she was, for that matter."

"Well, yes, but wouldn't their ghosts still haunt the place?" Castle was happy with himself that he got a chuckle out of her.

"Let's just see what the boys have come up with. Maybe there's a connection."

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to White Plains**_

"So Castle, how _do_ you come up with these ideas anyway?" Kate asked on their car ride to see Ben Davidson, Melanie's father. Ben and his wife had custody of Melanie's two daughters, and it was up to Kate to give him the news they found his daughter's body.

"God-given talent," Castle responded, his ego never faltering even for a second.

"And the titles?" Castle had just came up with a title for the case as if it was a book – _A Chill Runs Through her Veins_. She had to admit it was catchy, and was definitely something that would catch her eye on a bookshelf.

"They speak to me. _Flowers For Your Grave_ , _Hell Hath No Fury_ …not to mention all the puns on 'Storm' and upcoming ones on 'Heat.'"

At that, Kate decided to change the subject. Talking about Castle's upcoming _Nikki Heat_ series based on her life was not something she liked to remember. "Must be hard on Melanie's parents, raising her daughters and all."

"I don't foresee them reacting well to this news. I can't imagine being on the receiving end myself," Castle said.

"They'll probably be relieved, more than anything. If they can't get their loved ones back, they'll want closure. That's the only way to really move on." Kate couldn't help but think about her own situation, and Castle caught on to the change in tone in her voice. She hadn't told him about her 'story' yet, and wanted to keep it from him as long as possible.

"Do you think they have anything to do with either murder?" Castle asked, curious to see if Melanie's and Sam's deaths were related, or if Sam's really was just part of a robbery.

"Anything's possible."

"I wonder what their relationship was like."

"Couldn't have been that strained for her to leave them the kids," Kate said.

"That was probably just the courts. She had drug problems. That can tear a family apart."

* * *

 _ **From the Davidson's house to the bar in New Jersey to see Detective Sloan**_

"Why do you think Sloan didn't put in the work he should've?" Castle asked Beckett on their way to New Jersey. He wasn't experienced enough in the field to realize that cops didn't always do their job the way it was intended.

"Could be a number of reasons. He could've just been tired. It was only five years ago- maybe he was about to retire and didn't want to get involved in a big case that would take up that much of his time," she finished, pausing to think for a moment. Would those be real reasons for a detective to leave a case like that? Obviously, it was nothing she would ever do. Nor would any detectives she knew, for that matter. "Or maybe he was crooked, who knows."

"Is that where we're headed to now? To see Sloan?"

"Yeah. Call Ryan and find out an address, would you?" Kate asked, tossing him her phone.

"Think he'll remember details about the case?" Castle asked, finding Ryan's number on speed dial.

"Depends on how important it was to him at the time, and if he was really hiding something or not. My bet is that he'll remember a lot, including why he didn't pursue it further." The more she thought about it, the more she thought Sloan didn't do his job for a specific reason.

"They seemed happy to get their closure, don't you think?" Castle asked, referring back to the Davidsons and how they had reacted to the news of Melanie's death.

"Yeah, it was probably a huge relief for them to finally know." Again Kate had a slight change in the tone of her voice. She sounded almost annoyed.

"Ben seemed kind of angry, too. You think something's there?" Castle asked.

"His daughter was murdered. Wouldn't you be angry, Castle?" Kate asked with fervor in her voice. With that, Castle dropped the subject.

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to South Jersey to see Hensen**_

"So you never answered my question," Castle stated. They had a long drive ahead of them and a lot of silence to fill. Maybe he'd try and get some answers, or a backstory for his character. Not to mention he wanted to know a little more about his new partner, and friend.

"What question?"

"About your dad, and what happened to him." Castle thought he had solved a part of the mystery. She had been wearing her father's watch, or at least a man's watch that he assumed to belong to her father. He put the pieces together, but had yet to get an answer.

"Nothing happened to my father. At least nothing I want to tell _you_ about." Kate responded, a little too quickly and defensively.

"That is his watch though isn't it?" he asked. He was determined to peel back a layer of the Kate Beckett onion and figure out why she had become a cop. He had called her out on her story when they first met, but nothing was revealed.

"Yes it is, happy now? Stop trying to write my story, Castle," Kate said, annoyed at his constant questioning.

"I'm not trying to write it. It's already written," he responded smartly. He always had an answer for everything.

"Then stop trying to read my story."

"Come on, Beckett. We're spending all this time together. It's a long drive to South Jersey and back. We should get to know each other better," Castle said, appealing to her softer side. He wasn't trying to be annoying or intrusive, even if it was coming off that way.

"Or we could play the license plate game," she said with a smile.

* * *

 _ **From the truck place to the precinct to interrogate the friend Charles Wyler**_

"You know, Beckett, that was some excellent work we did there. We make a great team." The two of them had practically just figured out the entire crime timeline of Melanie's death, with Roger's help.

"Yeah, except for the part where we're _married_ ," Beckett complained. Part of putting the scene together had them acting as Melanie and Sam for a moment, which meant they were a married couple. Being married to Castle was something Kate did not want to ever imagine, even for a second, whether or not was hypothetical.

"What, you don't want to be married to me?" Castle asked innocently.

"Not even in your wildest dreams," she responded curtly. They barely tolerated each other. Or rather, she barely tolerated him.

"Come on, it wouldn't be that bad," he teased. "I promise I won't ever shove you in a freezer."

"Oh, well in that case…"

"Anyway," Castle said, changing the subject. "You think Wyler will cooperate?"

"He's going to have to, unless he wants to go to jail for accessory to murder."

"With a good lawyer, people can get away with anything, including murder. Look at OJ."

"Yeah, well, that's why we go for the confession. Aim for the throat," Kate said. She had no sympathy for people who committed crimes of any kind, least of all murder. This was her job, and she did it well.

"Ruthless. I like it."

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to the Cavanaugh's old apartment**_

"So we're thinking the same thing right?" The two of them had solved the case. Sam killed Melanie and used the freezer to get her body out of the apartment. But there was something missing.

"It wasn't Sloan," Kate answered.. The pieces didn't add up and they had to find out why.

"Or it was Sloan, and he knew more than he let on."

"Which means someone else was in on it. Let's find out who."

* * *

 _ **From the apartment to see Melanie's parents**_

"What's the plan?" Castle asked. They had just learned that Ben had questioned Deloris, the woman who they delivered the freezer to, just a year before. Coincidentally around the time of Sam's death.

"I don't know," Kate answered. She was obviously upset at the turn of events. She wanted to give the Davidsons closure, and instead had to question Ben regarding the murder of his son-in-law.

"He killed him," Castle stated, referring to Sam's death.

"Or had him killed and just made it look like a robbery."

"So he knew all this time…" Castle was talking absently as he looked out the window, thinking about why he never came forward.

"Or at least suspected it. And was positive enough of Sam's guilt to have him killed."

"I can't say I wouldn't do the same."

"Have a man killed?" Kate asked incredulously. There was apparently more to Castle than he let on also.

"If he hurt Alexis? I'd do anything for her," he responded, almost shocked that she didn't realize how far a parent would go for their child.

"But you wouldn't be protecting her anymore. Why not just tell the police what you know instead of risking everything?" Kate asked. As a detective, she had more faith than the average citizen in the judicial system. "They would have handled it."

"Instinct. Knowing that the police didn't care the first time around. Knowing that justice isn't always served."

Reflecting on her own life, she couldn't argue with that.

* * *

Much thanks to encantadaa and Janna for the editing help, and to jstar1382 (Jill) for the encouragement!


	6. Always Buy Retail

_**From the crime scene to Castle's apartment**_

"So Castle, why did you pick Vodou for the topic of your book? Which one was it, _Unholy Storm_? Doesn't seem like your typical subject matter." Kate was acting like she didn't know anything about the Derrick Storm novels, even though she had been a fan of Richard Castle's novels long before meeting him. That was a not so secret piece of information that she tried to hide every chance she got.

Castle gave her a sly look before responding. "That's why I picked it. It's different; interesting." He paused before adding, "Plus, I had a premonition that one day I would be working with the NYPD to help solve a murder, so I figured I should do the research then, rather than waiting."

Kate gave him a sarcastic laugh, rolling her eyes. "Very funny." She was curious however, so she inquired further. "Did you actually go to Africa?"

"No, I met some people here. Did some library research. The internet. All very helpful."

"Well from what I know it seems so _creepy_ ," Kate said, taking her knowledge from what she had seen in movies and on TV shows, like any typical American would. "And isn't it pronounced 'voodoo?'"

"Ah ha, Detective Beckett, that is a common misconception. Voodoo is actually the black magic, witchcraft, potions, etcetera, that are used all over. Voodoo dolls, you know, things you've seen on TV. Vodou is the religion we are looking at. People who practice it are actually usually offended by the term voodoo. It just makes them look bad. Vodou isn't evil like everyone thinks," Castle finished, punctuating the word "evil" with air quotes to emphasize his point.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure this guy was killed out of love," Kate retorted.

"People are killed in the names of all religions. Vodou may not actually be a part of it anyway. That might just be what the murderer practices, and therefore is just the after death ritual."

Kate looked at Castle before answering sarcastically, "Well, look at that Castle, I learn something new every day."

* * *

 _ **From Castle's apartment to the apartment of the second victim**_

"So Michelle was nice. How did you meet her?" Kate asked as they headed out the door.

"I wandered into a few places when I was starting the book, found the restaurant, found her. I asked her if we could meet and I could pick her brain. Told you the food was great, by the way."

"Yeah, well, I could have gone without the knowledge that I was eating a cow's foot," she responded as they both chuckled. "It was nice of her to let you let you use her for research."

"Just like you, Detective."

"Yeah, well, she had the choice. I don't," Kate answered, withholding the fact that she was getting used to him and didn't mind his company all that much anymore. However, that was information she didn't want to give him outright, so she threw in, "And you're still friends. You must have charmed her better than you did me."

"Oh, come on, Beckett. I'm not that bad. Look, I'm helping," he insisted with a whine.

"Yeah, yeah," Kate said, letting the subject go. She wanted to move on to another subject and although she wanted to do it slyly, that wasn't going to work, so she jumped right in with, "So, this thing with your ex-wife. Is she staying with you?"

"No, at a hotel," Castle responded absentmindedly, looking out the passenger seat window.

"So how'd you wind up there?" Kate asked, pressing the issue further. Not that she wanted to know about his sex life exactly, but curiosity was getting the better of her.

"I didn't."

"Okay…" Castle wasn't giving her any information, so she inquired more. "How'd she wind up at your place? And isn't that a little weird?"

"She came over to see Alexis, stayed for me, and is what weird?"

Rolling her eyes Kate asked, "Having sex with your exes?" She paused before adding, "And why would you even want to?"

Answering her questions one by one, he responded with, "No, it's familiar. And did you not hear what I said earlier about the sex with crazy people?"

* * *

 _ **From the crime scene to the precinct**_

"What's wrong?" Kate asked.

"It's just sad. All these people getting murdered, dying. They have families, friends, lives. It's just sad. Women hit me especially hard, because I just think about Alexis." Castle was feeling down after seeing their latest victim, a young lawyer. Being around actual death and murder was beginning to take its toll on him, especially since so many of their victims had been young people.

"Yeah, but you can't think that way if you're gonna keep doing this, Castle. You have to look at it like a job," Kate encouraged.

"Is that how you look at it?"

"I try to," she said, pausing. "You can't get too emotionally involved, or it just gets harder. You can't be as objective. And if you can't get justice for the victim, it's that much worse."

Castle thought about what she said. "Must be hard. With your mother's case still being unsolved."

"Yeah, well, it definitely doesn't make it easy. But it makes me want to get justice for as many other people as possible, which actually can help the healing process."

For some reason, Castle didn't believe her.

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to Jamal Buoncy's building**_

"How long do you think we have until he kills again?" Castle asked as they got into the police car.

"Not much time. These both occurred together, so there may be more already out there that we have left to find. If not, I say we need to find this guy as soon as possible, since this obviously isn't a one-time only deal. He's after something."

"What do you think we'll find at this place?"

"Hopefully some information, if not the man himself." Kate was confident in her answer and in her position. It amazed her sometimes that she acted so fearlessly as she traveled to the more frightening parts of the city to catch murderers without a second thought.

They sat in silence for a bit, thinking about what they were doing before Castle spoke again. "Just think. If Jamal was able to renew his visa or went back to Nigeria, none of this would be happening. Unless…"

"What?"

"Ever see 'Final Destination?'"

Kate laughed to herself. "The thing about murder, Castle, is if someone is gonna do it, they'll find a way to do it. No one wakes up one day and says, 'I think I'll kill today.'"

"No, but someone else would be the victim, not the people who died."

"Yeah, well, lucky for them it's not," she answered, turning the corner.

* * *

 _ **From Canal Street to the precinct**_

"I was just thinking, maybe this guy wasn't looking for something on that camera. Maybe he wanted to avoid being found." Castle was trying to come up with ideas to help them solve this case as quickly as possible.

"Well, if that's true, it didn't work, since we have his picture now. Plus, you know, the fact that he was arrested."

"Think he's the killer?" Castle asked.

"We'll find out soon enough. He's on his way to the precinct now for questioning."

"What happens when we question illegals? Like earlier. Is he gonna be deported?" Castle inquired. He couldn't help but feel bad for them, as long as they didn't do anything else illegal.

"Only if we report him."

"Why wouldn't you? You're a cop."

"It's not my job to arrest everyone in New York who does something wrong, Castle. I don't go knocking on people's doors to arrest them for downloading music. If they're innocent, and they're helping, we gotta throw them a bone. If not, we'll never get help again."

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to Baylor's warehouse**_

"All this for a passport," Castle said, almost in disbelief that these people had died for something so inane.

"Sometimes that's all it takes." Kate was not surprised at their findings. She had seen it all, including murder for a lot less.

"Yeah, well, still. Seems easier to just put a rush order on the new one."

"Some people don't mind killing. Or don't think about it. Not to mention the culture is different where he's from. His brother is about to get killed. I guess he figured it would be better to kill strangers than have his brother die," she explained, trying to justify his actions for reasons she didn't know.

"Poor Jamal. And Darcy. And whoever else is next, if we don't find him."

"Well, hopefully there won't be a next one."

* * *

 _ **From Baylor's warehouse to the precinct**_

"I told you to stay back, Castle!" Kate yelled as they drove away.

"You knew I wouldn't! I blame you." Castle joked. He was in the wrong but would never admit that. He never stayed back before, so why would he now?

"You know, you are unbelievable. And what's with that vest? Where did you even get it made?" Kate couldn't hide her anger as she questioned him.

"I have connections! I figured that if I'm gonna be sticking, around I need to fit the part. We've been in some dangerous situations lately. I need to be prepared."

Kate decided it was a no-win argument and moved on to other frustrating matters. "I can't believe you didn't get the plate. Or the make or model of the car!"

"Have you ever tried being a witness? In that moment, you can't do anything!"

"Oh, yeah, you were _distracted_ ," she whined. "So who was on the phone, Castle? Oh I'm sorry, I mean _Kitten_ ," she snapped.

"It was Alexis's ringtone, I didn't know it was Meredith! Obviously, I wouldn't have answered."

"What did she want this time?" Her tone was calming down a bit as she continued the conversation. It wasn't his fault that Meredith was crazy, although it was his fault that he encouraged it.

"For me to cosign a loan for her on an apartment. Like I would. It would be like sending _myself_ to Hell."

* * *

 _ **From the precinct to the yoga studio**_

"Think they'll know her?" Castle asked as they drove with the siren on, trying desperately to find the woman who bought the purse.

"When I flash my badge, the memories will come flooding back. Hopefully, we'll get an address."

"Might be hard for them to remember all of the students they have," he pointed out.

"We have no other options. Someone's gotta know her. They must have sign-in sheets or something. If we can at least get a list of names, we can narrow it down."

* * *

 _ **From the yoga studio to Diana's apartment**_

"Why would that girl think Baylor's a cop?" Castle asked, admittedly surprised that she had just believed this man claiming to be a police officer. Then again, it had happened before, on their last case.

"Why wouldn't she?"

"No credentials," he shrugged, shocked that she found this completely ordinary.

"He's a counterfeiter, and he's probably got a badge ready to go. Civilians are gullible. That woman didn't ask for my badge number or anything. In a crisis, people will give up information without a second thought."

"Yeah, well, let's hope he had to wait for his GPS to find a signal."

* * *

Thanks Janna, L, and Jill!


End file.
